Page 6 - MCD 2018 Deed

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What is the Great Miami Riverway?
Using the river to promote tourism and increase investment
Cities across the country are reinventing themselves using their rivers. This region is taking that concept to a higher level. Nine cities and other agencies have launched an effort to make a 99-mile section of the Great Miami River a tourism destination.
“Within five or 10 years we want people
to recognize the Great Miami Riverway
the same way they recognize the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee or the Outer Banks
of North Carolina,” says Elizabeth Connor, Great Miami Riverway coordinator.
Think tourism doesn’t offer much in the way of economic impact? You might be surprised to know that according to Oxford Economics and Tourism Ohio:
n Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors.
n Tourism sustains 1 in every 10 jobs around the world.
n Visitors spent $43 billion in Ohio in 2016. Average spending per person equalled $360 per overnight.
“Today, people care more about making memories than having ‘stuff,’” Connor says. “It’s time for this region to capitalize on the amazing experiences on and along the Great Miami River.”
Tale of the Trails survey
Courtesy City of Hamilton
90 percent of users rate the trails as excellent or good
The region boasts more than 340 miles of connected trails, making it the largest paved trail network in the country. MCD owns/manages about 35 miles of trail along the Great Miami and Mad rivers. More than 60 miles of trail are on MCD flood protection land. Go to bit.ly/TrailsSurvey to see all of the survey results.
More than 90 percent of trail users rate the trails as excellent or good for cleanliness, maintenance and safety.
Trail use generates an estimated $13.4 million of annual economic activity in the region.
More than 70 percent of trail users surveyed use the trail at least weekly during the summer.
One in six trail users is from outside the Miami Valley.
55%
of trail users are cyclists
Protecting | Preserving | Promoting